Daughter of My Father
by crushcrucify
Summary: I'm not as clueless as one may think. I've been mistreated and stamped down by my relatives all my life, but I know the truth. I always know the truth. Everyone lies to me. Those who did will pay. Those who stood by me will reap the awards. I'm Althea Potter; either your best friend or your worst nightmare. Fem!Harry
1. Kelli the Empousa

_**Chapter One**_

 _ **Kelli the Empousa**_

 ** _By: crushcrucify_**

* * *

She had just finished serving breakfast on the table when her aunt shoved a list of chores in her hands.

"You'd better have those chores finished by lunchtime, girl; otherwise there'll be no food for two days." Petunia sneered and turned around to fuss over her precious son.

Frowning, Althea Potter pocketed her breakfast (a strip of bacon on a piece of burnt toast) and went out of the house. It was a hot summer day and even though they were running on a drought, many neighbors could be seen watering their rapidly wilting gardens and insistently scrubbing away at their continuously dusty cars with a water hose.

Children consumed ice cream after ice cream, emptied water bottles over their heads and even dived straight into swimming pools with their clothes on! They were all bothered by heat, something Althea genuinely couldn't understand. The feeling of the sun caressing your skin was simply divine and the light the sun gave off literally made her day better. She felt safe underneath the sun, as if someone was watching over her. So she really didn't mind working out in the garden, (except for the fact that the Dursley's never supplied her with the proper tools) it was somehow fun.

As she pulled out weeds with her bare hands, Althea wondered if her parents would've made her do these kind of chores if they'd been alive. She doubted it, because she never saw Dudley even move to put an empty glass in the kitchen sink, much less do the laundry or clean his room. Even though the boy was lucky in that aspect, Althea would never wish to be her cousin.

For one, he was a stubborn, mean git who bullied anyone that went against his wishes; two, he was honestly very fat and overweight (no matter what Aunt Petunia would say) and three, he was just simply pathetic. He couldn't do basic math, spell the easiest words in the English language or even read more than a sentence without stumbling on the words. Honestly, Althea would rather be a slave for the rest of her life than be as stupid and moronic as Dudley.

"Are you done with the garden, girl?!" Aunt Petunia shrieked.

"Almost," Althea yelled back.

"Hurry up!" Petunia snapped. "If you don't have it presentable in five minutes, I'll see to it that you won't come out of your cupboard for the next few days."

That made Althea rush. She hated the cupboard with a burning passion. It restricted her movements, had absolutely no light (the only lamp was burned out) and made her feel claustrophobic.

As an ADHD kid, Althea had never had it easy. Added to the fact that she had dyslexia too, she'd quickly become the freak of first grade in less than a week after starting school. They all mocked her for being so fidgety, that she couldn't read or write without struggling and so on and so forth. It made her feel miserable, added to the fact that vampire women kept trying to kill her.

She never told anyone, of course. They would send her to an asylum if she did and besides, she took this as a sign that she really wasn't normal. It was a relief, seeing as everything in this neighborhood was organized. It was like a clean room that you just wanted to bomb with filthiness, and Althea was genuinely happy that she wasn't 'normal' like her relatives. And speaking of vampiric ladies ...

"Hello, Althea!" A familiar voice squealed.

Sighing, the ten year old turned around. "Are you trying to kill me again, Kelli?"

"Why else would I be here then, silly?" Kelli giggled.

"You know, you never told me what you are." Althea said conversationally, getting up from the ground and dusting dirt off of her worn out jeans.

"Why, I'm an _empousa_ , of course." Kelli sounded genuinely surprised that she didn't know.

"Silly me, how did I not know?" Althea inquired dryly, sticking her hands into the over-sized pockets of her jeans and tightly clenching her dagger. It had been something she had snagged off of Kelli during their first fight, and how she had turned the so called 'empousa' into golden dust.

"I know, right?" Kelli giggled, apparently not sensing the sarcasm in the ten year old's voice.

"Kelli?" Althea started slowly pulling the dagger out of her pocket, as to not attract the empousa's attention.

"Yes, little demigod?" Kelli inquired.

"Bye." Althea stated and hurled the dagger straight at Kelli's chest.

The empousa blasted into golden dust, wailing about the unfairness of it all. Althea calmly walked over to where Kelli had stood and picked up her dagger.

"Man, is she going to be mad next time." She shook her head and quickly finished weeding the garden, running inside to report her progress to Aunt Petunia.


	2. Doomed in a Literal Sense

_**AN: Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you all for your kind reviews, follows and favorites. You have no idea how much this means to me, nor how much I wanted to update sooner. I was a bit busy with school stuff and all.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter Two**_

 _ **Doomed in a Literal Sense**_

 _ **By: crushcrucify**_

* * *

Althea was doomed. She was, in the literal sense, doomed. She stared at the moaning and groaning Piers Polkiss with muted horror, remains of the vase laying on the floor, scattered all over. The boy had a nasty gash on his right cheek and somehow, a large shard of crystal had lodged itself in his left leg.

Now, Althea was used to a little bloodshed; she did keep killing Kelli every other day, after all (even though Kelli didn't actually bleed). But she had never actually attacked another person. She had never _thought_ she would attack another person. But when ratty Piers teased her, tried to steal a kiss and ultimately called her a dishonest, lying little girl, she completely lost it. _No one_ called her 'dishonest' and got away with it!

She fought him, got into a brawl and kicked his ass. His pride having been hurt, Piers called her a nasty gothic runt because she slept in 'that stupid cupboard', thinking he'd get away with it. Safe to say, he didn't.

Rage had blinded her and Althea had thrown Petunia's precious crystal vase at the watery eyed boy. He hadn't been expecting such a violent reaction and his reflexes weren't as honed as hers were, so it collided straight into him, sending him sailing at the wall. The expensive vase shattered, injuring Piers and putting a thing like this on Althea's conscience. Not to mention that she couldn't lie to save her life, so she might as well be done for.

Shame and anger overtook her; she knew she couldn't stay at Privet Drive any longer. Turning on her heels, Althea ran upstairs to Dudley's spare bedroom and snatched up a blue backpack that the fat tub of lard had declared to be 'too plain'. She ran back into her cupboard and shoved in two spare changes of clothes, a wad of papers that were sketches she did in her free time and the knife she'd nicked from Kelli. She then rushed into the kitchen, grabbed two chicken sandwiches, a bottle of water and a bar of chocolate, shoving them all into the backpack.

Throwing the pack over her shoulders, Althea rushed to the front door. She paused to look at the groaning Piers.

"I'm so sorry, but this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't provoked me." She whispered and opened the door, running out into the afternoon heat.

Five minutes later, the whole of Privet Drive could hear Petunia Dursley's screaming, reminiscent to the morning she found her niece on her doorstep. But this time, it was for a much worse reason; a much, much worse reason.

* * *

 _Up on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building in an ethereal city, a blue eyed god sat on his throne, looking mildly concerned, but vaguely victorious. Soon, she would be where she was supposed to be; the place her mother should've put her in the moment she was born. Lily had made a mistake, but thank the fates that he actually paid attention to his children and was there to rectify the dearly departed redheaded witch's error. Soon, Althea would be at Camp Half Blood. He would be able to keep an eye on his firstborn daughter, and he would make the people that she had suffered under pay._

 _"A plague arrow or two should do it." Apollo mused._

* * *

At Hogwarts Castle, a certain Deputy Headmistress sat on one of Dumbledore's chairs he reserved for visitors, impatiently waiting for the old Headmaster to return from who knows where.

Minerva McGonagall had stopped believing in the eccentric old wizard the moment he put Althea Potter on her unnaturally normal relatives's doorstep, without a spell to keep her warm in a November night. Thankfully, she had been there after he'd apparated away and she'd had the good sense to put a warming charm on the poor baby. Her only regret was that she had failed Althea; she had failed to keep the young girl away from her magic hating aunt, uncle and cousin.

Minerva tapped her fingers on the ancient wooden oak desk impatiently, when all of a sudden, a few dozen of the silver instruments Dumbledore liked to keep exploded. She jumped up, wand in hand. Heading over to one of the shelves, Minerva poked the sizzling ruins of the instruments tentatively. She ran a diagnostic charm on the remains and the result she got nearly sent her into a rage.

He ... the bastard knew! Dumbledore knew that Althea was being mistreated! He had, in fact, put surveyor and spying spells all over Privet Drive. He'd been keeping check of the girl who lived since the day she was put into that miserable cookie cutter neighborhood, but had done nothing about the poor excuse of a home life Althea had!

Minerva felt her once high respect plummet to a number that would put zero to shame.

"Oh, how low the mighty have fallen." She whispered sadly, before withdrawing her wand and quickly stalking out of the office, no longer wishing to see the silver haired wizard.


	3. Wide Island

_**AN: Hey everyone! I'm just here to clear up some confusion. Some of you commented that according to the Percy Jackson series, Apollo has daughters. Yes, I know. But seeing as he's also the god of men in addition to some other titles, in my mind, it would be really rare for him to have female children. Althea here is his first daughter in centuries (in this fanfiction universe, of course) and therefore, she's considered Firstborn. Anyway, thank you all for your support and I hope you enjoy this chapter ;)**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter Three**_

 _ **Wide Island**_

 _ **By: crushcrucify**_

* * *

It was raining. Thunder shook the trees, water leaking through the small hole of the abandoned house in Willoughby Drive. The now eleven year old Althea Potter was pressing herself against the wall, a half eaten granola bar clenched in her hand. Nothing had been going right so far, and she had just spent her eleventh birthday in a leaky house with rain spattering everywhere, feeling sorry for herself.

Even the monsters had sensed her misery; they loved taunting her about her homeless state. She had advanced from Kelli the empousa to things far more dangerous: hellhounds. They, like empousa's, were from the Greek myths and Althea was actually starting to believe that this whole thing had a grain of truth to it. She had researched in the library and read about demigods of old, coming to the startling realization that her whole life was basically like theirs.

 _'But they were all big heroes; they at least had someone who cared about them, even if their life was majorly crappy.'_ The blonde haired girl thought bitterly. _'I don't have anyone. I bet no one but the Dursley's and Dudley's stupid friends know I actually exist.'_

She, of course, didn't know how wrong she was. She didn't know that she had a deity as a father, that he was watching over her every step of the way. She thought she was utterly alone and that if she died in a ditch, no one would care or even remember her; it was no surprise that when the voice started talking in her head, she listened and talked back to it.

 _'Hey kiddo, don't be so down.'_ The male voice told her for the third time that night.

 _'Who are you, anyway?'_ Althea sulked.

 _'That's a secret, sunshine.'_ The annoyingly cheerful voice informed her.

 _'Did you say something about a wide island, earlier?'_ She ignored his statement.

 _'I was talking about Long Island Sound in New York. Great place; has a camp for kids like you.'_ He chuckled lightly.

 _'New York has a camp for psychos? Fun.'_ Althea replied sarcastically.

 _'You're not psychotic, Thea.'_ He disagreed hotly. _'You're just ... different, and not in a bad way. Besides, do you want to be like those animals you call relatives?'_

 _'I don't have a sliver of my being that's like them! And how would I get to New York, anyway?'_ Althea yelled in her head.

 _'You take the plane.'_ He replied, as though that should've been obvious.

 _'Well, that's good and all, but I don't have any money.'_ She groaned at his stupidity.

 _'That won't be a problem. All you have to do is take the first plane to New York; all else is taken care of.'_ He replied cheerfully.

 _'So ... I just go to the airport and sneak on to a plane?'_ She inquired curiously.

 _'Yeah, but it'll help if you pray to Zeus and Hermes. You might just get there faster and avoid an unneeded jetlag.'_ He suggested.

 _'Why? ... They don't even exist?'_ Althea scoffed, but she knew she didn't sound sure.

All of Kelli's attacks, nearly being shredded to ribbons by the hellhounds ... they just couldn't be a figment of her imagination. Althea knew she wasn't going insane, but there had to be an explanation for everything and Greek mythology was the only thing that fit! She read tales about demigods and their quests, now here was a voice speaking in her head, telling her to run off to New York and pray to Zeus and Hermes in the meantime.

 _'We both know that's not true, sweetheart. I wish I could tell you more, but that's not possible. I'm running out of time here, and the more you're out of camp vicinity, the more you're in danger. Think about what I said and then decide what you want to do. Just remember that going to camp is in your best interests and that you'll always find a home there.'_ With that, Althea felt a force in her mind retreat.

It had taken residence there for about a week now, and just feeling it leave was bizarre.

 _'Hello? Hello! Are you still there?'_ She called out, somehow desperate to keep the only kind company she'd ever had.

Something told her the voice wasn't coming back anytime soon, and that made her slump down the damp, wooden wall. She thought about Long Island Sound and New York for the rest of the night, only managing to catch a few hours of sleep. When dawn arrived, Althea grabbed her backpack of things she'd nicked here and there; she went to catch a cab to Heathrow Airport.

* * *

When he saw lightning strike down two bulky trees in the forest, Chiron the centaur knew it wasn't going to be a pleasant evening. Nothing was pleasant when someone angered Zeus, and Chiron had a bad feeling this involved another Big Three fight, only that it was much more serious than 'Mother Rhea always liked you best' or 'air disasters are grander than sea disasters'.

After making sure nobody had sneaked out, the centaur tiredly sat down on his wheelchair in the Big House. Dionysus - or as he was known, Mr. D - was slumped over a desk that had sat there since the 20's, clutching a bottle of aged wine. The cork was unscrewed; the god of wine knew better than to anger his father, lest he lengthen the already torturous (in Dionysus's opinion) punishment.

Chiron was about to catch a moment of sleep himself, when he saw a shiny gold object lying against the desk - more specifically, a bow - that hadn't been there before. Frowning, he wheeled over to the desk and picked the bow up. It was certainly a work of art, reminiscent to the ones the twin archers, Apollo and Artemis carried. A tiny Greek letter, barely noticeable, was carved on the interior: Eta. The old hero trainer instantly knew this was the god of forges, Hephaestus's work.

 _'Now why would this be here?'_ The centaur wondered.

The answer came seconds later, when a piece of paper floated into his left hand.

 ** _I have a child coming through in a few days, probably. When I claim them, I want you to give them this bow and tell them it's from me. By the way, you're right. There's another Big Three fight, much, much worse than any other. Hades and Poseidon are pissed: Zeus broke the oath. You can expect an earthquake and an onslaught of Underworld monsters during the next few months._**

 ** _\- Apollo_**

 ** _(PS: Don't wonder why I'm being so serious. Zeus just electrified my ass off.)_**

Chiron crumpled the letter in his hand.

"Di immortales," He murmured.

That was his version of saying, 'oh shit'.


	4. Interlude: A Tale of Lily and Apollo

_**AN: This is an interlude, peeps; not a chapter on Althea's life. For those who had questions about how Lily and Apollo actually got together, this is for you.**_

* * *

 _ **Interlude**_

 _ **A Tale of Lily and Apollo**_

 _ **By: crushcrucify**_

* * *

It wasn't often that the gods ventured beyond America to find lovers, but it did happen once or twice in a decade. Even then, it was nearly always minor gods who did so and the demigods they produced most of the time went without knowing about their heritage, living a quiet and normal life.

But he was bored. He was bored and tired of the blonde chicks who tanned in the beach, the ones he normally had flings with. It was true that those were the girls he preferred, but a change of scenery was what he needed.

He had just found out his mother was beginning to fade, and even though she probably wouldn't complete the process for another five hundred years, it depressed the sun god to no end. His twin wasn't faring any better, but she had her hunters to look to, more maidens to recruit and generally just being daddy's little girl.

Apollo could only drive the sun, attend meetings at Olympus and gaze out at Floridian beaches. Even his haiku's had lost their shine (pun unintended), he just needed something else to focus on.

So, one early morning when he was driving the sun over Scotland, he decided to have a look. After putting the chariot on its auto function, he hopped off and found himself in the highlands. He trekked for half an hour, when he discovered a little village a ways off. Upon entering, he felt a blast of raw energy hit him, and he knew that he'd somehow happened across Hecate's little pet project; the wizarding world.

Intrigued, he continued his walk until he happened upon a pub called 'The Three Broomsticks'. There were a crowd of young people in different colored robes, most of them sipping on yellow, fizzy drinks. Scattered across the brightly lit room, he noticed, were kids ranging from ages thirteen to seventeen, wearing black robes with certain crests, but it ranged from lion, to snake, to badger, to eagle.

Once he heard someone ordering a 'butterbeer' and when the bartender served the yellow, fizzy drink that nearly everyone else was consuming, Apollo knew he had to try some. So he ordered the butterbeer. He noticed the currency, galleons, differed a little than the Olympian drachma, so he transfigured a few into it and paid his fare, even though he knew he could easily get away with not paying, being a god and all. But being the god of truth, he went the honest way and when he tasted the drink, he knew he had to convince Zeus to allow it to be served on Olympus.

After finishing his drink, he was going to return to the sun chariot, when he saw her. She was being accosted by a greasy haired boy, whom she wanted nothing to do with. He was pleading with her to give him a second chance and she kept denying, telling him that he chose 'dark magic' and the 'Slytherin crowd' over her. Apollo knew a damsel in distress when he saw one, so he saved her.

"Didn't you hear the lady? Leave her alone."

The greasy haired boy had turned around, about to sneer down at him, but that clearly hadn't happened. He, at 5'7, was no match for Apollo who, even when he wasn't in his godly form, was very tall at 6'4.

"Who are you to tell me what to do? You don't even know us." The boy had scoffed.

"No, I don't know you." Apollo had agreed. "But I know your type. Clingy, immature, stubborn ... do I need to go on?"

The boy had growled and stormed off. Apollo may not have had their type of magic, but he was a god. He had his godly magic and he knew how to use it when the time came. It was useful for the intimidation tactic.

"Thank you; he's been bothering me for years now." The red head had smiled gratefully, and put her hand out. "I'm Lily."

"Pleasure to meet you, Lily. I'm Apollo." He had kissed her hand, and so began his adventure with the lovely Lily.

* * *

"A Greek god?" Lily asked, shocked. "As in Zeus and Hera?"

Apollo winced as the sky rumbled threateningly. "Yeah, them. Just don't go around blurting their names, they don't like that."

"How about you? Do _you_ like it when someone just says your name?" She asked, her green eyes simmering with curiosity.

"Ah, well, depends on what situation it is ..." He smirked teasingly and she gently smacked his arm. "But I don't really mind. Neither do Hermes or Hephaestus, now that I think about it. My dad is the sourpuss, really."

The night sky flashed with lightning and Lily looked up, her eyes shining with an innocent sort of awe.

"Is that him? Your dad?"

"Mhm; very zap happy, he is. So just be careful you don't offend him. He's easy to woo over, but also very susceptible to even the slightest of insults."

Lily looked at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. Now that she could look clearly, she felt the slight warmth emanating from him, and it finally made sense why he didn't need to wear winter coats or wasn't really bothered by harsh rain or snow. She understood why he'd been so enthusiastic when she told him she aspired to become a healer in the future; he was the medicine god, after all. When she had told him his music taste was impeccable, he had just smiled secretly and told her she had no idea. She'd thought it was arrogant of him to say that, but now she knew that he had a right to knowing his music taste was amazing. He was the one who practically invented it.

"You know, Apollo, I'm really glad you told me this." She smiled at him.

He gave her his bright, blinding smile that she'd grown fond of. "Me too, flower; me too."

* * *

"I'm so sorry, flower." His blue eyes gazed at her, an uncharacteristic sadness in them.

"You can't stay, can you?" She sighed, looking away.

"You know the rules. As much as I want to, I can't. All of the gods are bound by an oath to the River Styx to have minimal contact with our children, till the day Zeus liberates us." He brushed a curly lock of red hair from her eyes.

"You still watch over them, don't you?" She suddenly demanded.

"Yeah, but only from afar. I guide the stray ones to camp; don't want them to die, after all." He muttered, scratching his head.

"Then promise me: when this ones time comes, you'll do whatever it takes to keep her alive. For whatever love or affection we share, promise me you'll do at least this." She pleaded him.

He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against her lips. "Of course I will. You and I share something special, Lily. You helped me get over my depression; you listened to me. Not many mortals do that, and I value your integrity and passion. I will protect our child as far as I can."

She nodded tremulously. "Now go. Go."

"Lily ..." He breathed.

"Go, Apollo!" She cried, tears gathering in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry." Apollo whispered again.

When Lily turned around, all that was left of him was a remaining light and soft, fading musical tones.

* * *

Apollo kept his promise; he watched Lily as she became big with his child, as she gave birth to a little girl whom she named Althea. When she married James, he was sorrowful, but he knew she had to move on and give their daughter a good home. On Halloween night, he checked a little too late.

He was grief stricken for days, drowning himself in Dionysus's strongest stuff. He had been too late to save Lily or her husband and he'd nearly failed Althea as well, but in a strange turn of events, her grandfather apparently decided it was time to stop being such a shitty bastard and had saved her, making the killing curse rebound on the little girls forehead, vanquishing her mothers murderer and marring her face with a lightning bolt scar.

Before Lily, Apollo wasn't well. With Lily, he was at his best. After Lily, no one could make him laugh the same way again.


	5. Piggyback Riding A Fury

**_AN: Hey guys, thank you for your patience in waiting for this chapter. Enjoy!_**

* * *

 ** _Chapter Four_**

 ** _Piggyback Riding A Fury_**

 ** _By: crushcrucify_**

* * *

The flight was horrible. The plane shook, the sky rumbled, it stormed and basically, it was a nightmare. When Althea finally stumbled out of the airport - backpack in hand - she was one step away from kissing the ground. Relief was the only emotion she felt when she sat down at a cafe table with a breakfast that consisted of a croissant and a cup of earl grey tea.

 _'Everything is good; everything is fine.'_ She thought to herself, pointedly avoiding the topic of being stranded in an alien city and country altogether, with no place to go and barely any money left.

After finishing her breakfast, she sat back in the chair and stared out at the sun. It being only eight in the morning, the heat wasn't so much, but it gave Althea comfort.

 _'I can never be trapped in that accursed cupboard again. I've escaped for good.'_

For weeks, she'd been afraid of being caught by the cops. She hid out, sought shelter wherever she could, scrounged for food in garbage cans and even resorted to stealing when she was on the brink of starvation. The voice had helped her come out of her despair and now here she was; in New York City. She knew it was time for a fresh start, so she didn't spare a thought for her disgusting relatives. When she boarded a cab on her way to Long Island, her mind didn't even stray to what might've happened to ratty Piers Polkiss. He'd be okay; she hadn't killed him.

* * *

Murphy's Law stated that whatever could possibly go wrong, would go wrong. Althea knew that, but had hoped that with everything she'd recently gone through, the monsters would cut her some slack. But it seemed that New York was even more monster-infested than Surrey was, because she was right about sure that two Furies were chasing after the car.

"Faster," She insisted. "Sir, you have to go faster!"

"I have too many speeding tickets to count, lassie. I'm not going to get another one because of you." The man snorted.

The speedometer dipped below 45 and Althea knew that if this guy didn't hurry up, they'd both be served as monster breakfast. Her ADHD brain came up with what probably wasn't her smartest plan. She turned to the unoccupied spot next to her. She twisted her left hand and the form of a dangerous, scarred up man appeared. He looked like the sort that dealt drugs, came and went in gangs and kidnapped little kids for his own amusement. Another twist of her hand and he suddenly had a shotgun positioned right at the drivers throat.

A bead of sweat rolled down Althea's temple.

"I would go faster, if I were you." The Mistform said in a deep, dangerous voice, as they heard an inhumane screech from outside the car.

The driver choked and put his foot on the gas. The car sped down highway after highway, knocking Althea into the front seat and the door. She could feel her energy slowly draining; it took a lot of effort to keep up an illusion this big and detailed, especially as she had discovered this nifty little ability only a week ago, and hadn't had time to practice it properly. As she was fighting to keep her consciousness, she saw the car about to zoom past a hill. It wasn't just any hill; there was the silhouette of a house. Instinctively, she knew: this was the place.

"Here!" She yelled. "Stop!"

The car skidded to a halt and Althea let the Mistform dissipate. Snatching up her backpack, she tripped out and started running for her life. She heard the car screech and zoom off and she turned around to look mid-run. Big mistake. Two hag-like creatures were heading toward her with speed that shouldn't have been possible. They had horrible sharp claws, pointy yellow teeth and a cruel smile.

"Di immortales!" She hissed.

She didn't stop to think where the curse came from and why she had just spoken in another language, she pulled out the knife and increased her speed.

"You know you can't run for long, little half blood. Submit, and you will suffer lesser pain." One of monsters cackled.

"What the heck did I ever do to you?!" Althea screamed, nearly tripping over a stick.

Her vision blurred; the Mistform had taken a lot of energy and the hill was steep.

"Where is she? Where did you hide her?!" The other hag screamed.

"What are you talking about?!" Althea choked; just a little ways left.

"Where is the girl?! Tell us so that we many punish her!" The first one bared her teeth.

"You're crazy!" Althea yelled.

They had gained up on her and she knew she only had a few moments before she was sliced to ribbons. She turned around, ADHD reflexes acting up. She punched the first one in the face and lunged at the second one with her knife. They briefly wrestled on the ground before the Fury took to the air, dodging Althea's attempts to skewer her.

"Come, Alecto! We shall take this betrayer to Lord Hades; he will deal with her!" The hag yelled.

Althea shut her eyes tight and with one last stroke, she plunged the knife into the Fury's stomach. The monster, like her predecessors, burst into gold dust, and Althea suddenly realized that she was free falling.

 _'I can't believe I came all this way, just to die.'_ She thought in disbelief.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered the pained scream of the Fury called Alecto, following by her bursting into golden dust like her sister had. The eleven year old braced herself for the impact, but it never came. She cautiously opened her eyes.

A black haired girl with amber colored eyes was staring at her, looking vaguely annoyed.

"Really? Why would you lunge a Fury? Should've just pummeled her when you had the chance."

"Who're you?" Althea slurred.

The girl huffed again. "Clarisse La Rue; you just ruined a perfectly good session of pegasus riding."

"I'm ... I'm Althea." She managed to get out, before falling unconscious.


	6. The Delphi Gossip Mill

_**AN: Hey guys, I'm sorry this took so long. I made the chapter a bit longer than usual to hopefully make up for the wait. Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoy!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter Five**_

 _ **The Delphi Gossip Mill**_

 _ **By: crushcrucify**_

* * *

"Little sister! Oh, little sister! Wake up!" An annoyingly cheerful voice brought Althea back to the land of the living.

"Mike, lay off the cheerfulness. It's five in the morning and she needs her sleep!" An exasperated female voice berated the male.

"I just wanted to see Apollo's latest progeny. Besides, she was unconscious when he claimed her! Barely five minutes into camp and baboom! Claimed!" The first voice, Mike exclaimed.

"Progeny? Who even says that anymore?!" The girl huffed incredulously.

"Apollo does!" Mike argued.

Althea decided to reveal herself before things got too heated.

"Are there anymore flying chickens around? Is it safe to wake up?" She groaned.

"You're awake! Kayla, she's awake!" Mike exclaimed, jumping up.

"Yes, Mike, I can see that." The girl, Kayla groaned impatiently.

Althea wearily opened her eyes and saw a disheveled, tired looking girl pouring a golden liquid into a cup full of ice. She had blonde hair, straight and waist length, and bright blue eyes with bags underneath them. The boy, Mike also had blonde hair, but whereas Kayla's was bright and shiny, his was a dirty, sandy blonde. He had eyes that somewhat alternated between grey and blue, elfish features and an impish, mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Good to know you aren't dead." Kayla remarked wryly, handing Althea the cup.

"Yeah, you sure sleep like it." Mike grinned.

"Drink that and ignore this idiot. For some stupid reason, he's a morning person and likes taking up early shifts at the infirmary. I don't know why we keep him around." She rolled her eyes.

"Because you love me?" Mike wiggled his eyebrows and Kayla smacked his shoulder without any real malice.

"Aren't you a morning person who takes early shifts? I mean, you're here at this hour." Althea pointed out, taking a sip of the drink.

It almost sent her straight to heaven; it tasted like liquidized treacle tart, the kind she used to illegally enjoy after sneaking some away from the Dursley's dinner table. It was so good, she nearly missed Kayla's response.

"Yeah, but I'm a descendant of Apollo, and you're his daughter. It's natural for us to be like that; we're all morning people and we rise with the first rays of sunlight. Sun gives us strength; ergo, energy." She started organizing bottles full of strange looking liquids.

"But didn't Mike just call me 'little sister'?" Althea sat up, confused.

Kayla snorted. "Mike's a son of Hermes, but he considers everyone his family. Annoys the hell out of Ares's kids too; they try to beat him up, he calls them his 'lovable, affectionate cousins'. He calls the ones he likes most his brother or sister, though I don't why he calls you little sister. He barely knows you."

"Hey! Everyone was a part of the Hermes cabin for awhile, at least. Thea here was a resident for a grand total of four minutes, but it still counts! Besides, she must be awesome for Apollo to claim her without hesitation like that. If Apollo likes her that much, she's good enough for me." Mike shrugged, then perked up. "Can I have nectar?"

"No." Kayla rolled her eyes, 'accidentally' kicking him in the shin when she passed by.

"By the way, what is this I'm drinking? It tastes like liquidized treacle tart." Althea called out.

"So that's what it tastes like for you." Kayla grinned. "That's what Mike just called 'nectar'. It's the drink of the gods, too much of it burns up a demigod, and it tastes like your favorite food. And speaking of the gods, you're taking this a bit too calmly. Did you know about your heritage?" She inquired, gently taking the cup away from Althea.

Said girl pouted longingly at the drink, though what Kayla had said about burning up had slightly discouraged her consumption.

"I've known something's strange about me for a long time now. Random monsters attack me, and they all somehow call me 'demigod scum'. I've had a male voice in my head guide me here and the weird factor's been around me enough, so I wouldn't have a hard time believing in the Olympians." She just shrugged.

"Do you know Apollo?" Kayla sat down on Althea's bed, her eyes glimmering with a sort of curiosity and longing.

"I'll just assume the voice talking in my head was him. He seemed like a pretty okay guy, laid back and all. I did a bit of research on the gods too, so I know his domains. But why are you asking? Haven't you talked to him before?" Althea inquired.

"Not all of us know our parents, Thea." Mike spoke up quietly as Kayla shook her head, somewhat bitterly.

"Wait, so how do you know you're their children? Don't they tell you?" Althea's brows furrowed in confusion.

"No, it doesn't work like that." Kayla murmured.

"You get claimed. A gods sign appears over your head; the sign of your godly parent. Apollo's is the sun and Hermes his caduceus; different things for them all." Mike explained.

"So all the kids get claimed, but not all of them get to talk to their parents?" Althea clarified.

Mike and Kayla exchanged a look.

"Not exactly." Mike started.

"Some kids ... they just don't get claimed. They stay in the Hermes cabin, wondering why they aren't good enough. Hermes is the patron of travelers, you know, so he accepts everyone. We've all been in there at one point. Well, except for you." Kayla explained carefully.

"But that's awful!" Althea protested.

"Yeah, but we don't get to complain, otherwise we might find ourselves on the wrong side of Zeus's bolt." Mike laughed with not a lot of humor.

"Mike!" Kayla warned as it thundered briefly.

"Was that him? Zeus?" Althea blurted out and it thundered again.

"Don't say his name. Names have power." Kayla said shortly.

"He's been in a bad mood, lately; all the Big Three have. It's always storming, hurricanes all over and reports of earthquakes all around the world. We don't know exactly what's going on, but I heard Chiron telling Mr. D something about the sky god and an oath." Mike whispered dramatically.

"Wait, what? Come again?" Kayla said sharply, turning around to face Mike. "An oath? The Big Three? If this is what I think it is ... then it's bad." She whispered.

"Why? What's so special about an oath?" Althea sat up straighter.

"Because ... this oath that I'm thinking about was sworn on the River Styx. An oath sworn upon the River Styx is the most serious thing you could do; if you break it, then bad things happen to you. Decades ago, right after World War II, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades - the Big Three - swore not to have children with mortals anymore. They were simply too powerful to be controlled; a threat to the rule of the gods. But I'm guessing one of them - probably Zeus - fell off the wagon and the other two aren't very happy about it." Kayla shuddered.

"Simply put, this is bad." Mike summed it all up.

"Very, very bad." Kayla agreed grimly.

* * *

The Apollo cabin, simply put, was bright. The outer walls shined as if they were made of pure gold, but no, Kayla said they were made of woven sunlight. Like many other things, Althea learned to accept it, even if she didn't completely understand how you could weave sunlight. Bizarre, apparently, was a part of Camp Half Blood's daily schedule.

Above stated fact was proven when the instant Althea set foot into the cabin, everyone put their things down and hounded her eagerly, either asking weird questions or gushing that they hadn't had a sister for centuries now. Kayla shooed them all away, but Althea could still sense the not-so-covert glances sent her way.

"You have to excuse them. Apollo hasn't had a daughter for centuries now and in this cabin, except me, they're all boys." Kayla explained.

"Wait ... so what's so special about me if you're a girl from Apollo's line too?" Althea frowned, settling down on the bed Kayla led her to.

"I'm a descendant of Apollo. It's perfectly normal for him to have a descendant, but a daughter? Not so much. You're the talk of the camp, Althea, the newest gossip. They all want to know what cool superpowers you have, especially so since you're a Firstborn." Kayla explained patiently.

"But I don't have any cool superpowers!" The English girl protested.

"Not that you know of." Kayla smiled knowingly. "Around here, Apollo's known as the 'god of many things'. As it is, his children inherit a lot of things from him. Even I, as his descendant, have a pretty good way around archery, though my forte is healing. You, as a Firstborn, will have two or three of Apollo's talents, one of them will be your area of expertise. You'll be predictably more powerful than your siblings and the monsters will put you in the same height as they'd put a child of the Big Three. You can see why everyone is eager for you to showcase your abilities."

"I don't know, that's a lot of pressure they've put on a girl they barely know." Althea grumbled.

Kayla laughed brightly and ruffled the green eyed girls hair. "They may not know you, but you sure put a hell of a good first impression on them. I mean, piggyback riding a Fury? Not many people can claim to have done that."

"So what? Now I'm a celebrity?" Althea snorted in disbelief.

Kayla snickered. "Nah, more like you're going to be the subject of the Delphi Gossip Mill for the next few months."

Althea stared at her.

"Oh, bloody hell."


	7. Old Donkey, Old Goat

_**AN: This is nothing short of a miracle, guys! I never continue a story beyond five chapters and usually, I delete them after awhile. But thanks to you support, I've never been happier to write a story. Thank you for everything, and I hope you enjoy this!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter Six**_

 _ **Old Donkey, Old Goat**_

 _ **By: crushcrucify**_

* * *

After she settled into the cabin and got a mass introduction to her brothers, Kayla took Althea to the Big House. It was difficult not to gape, doubly so since basically everything was the definition of strange. When she saw the cloven hoofed humanoids, Althea thought she was going to lose it, and apparently Kayla caught her train of thoughts.

"Don't worry. By the end of the week, all this will be old news for you." The descendant of Apollo assured her.

" _What is he?_ " Althea hissed, discreetly pointing at one of the donkey-like figures who was wielding a baseball bat, angrily berating one of the younger campers.

Kayla hummed in amusement. "That's Coach Hedge. He's a satyr; half man, half goat. Don't go talking to him about that though. He's a little touchy about it; they all are."

And with that, they finally reached the Big House. Kayla knocked and opened the door, ushering the newest resident of Cabin Seven in. Althea took a few steps in and observed her surroundings. The place almost, _almost_ , looked like a normal office; with the desk, paperwork, bookshelves and all. What ruined the image was yet another figure taken out of Greek mythology; a centaur. The upper half of his body was that of a human; he had warm and intelligent blue eyes, a scraggly beard and a kind smile on his lips. From the waist down, he was a horse, his coat white and sleek. He was holding a beautifully crafted bow, gold in color, the design that of a vine winding up; very intricate.

"Whoa ..." Althea murmured, unintentionally forgetting to say hello.

"Whoa, indeed. Lord Hephaestus's creations, I think we can all agree, are rivaled by none others."

"Yeah ..." Althea blinked, then snapped out of her daze. "I'm sorry. Hello, my name is Althea Potter." She smiled sheepishly, scratching her head.

"I was wondering when we'd get to know your last name." The centaur smiled cheerfully, putting the bow aside. "I'm Chiron, the activities director here in Camp Half Blood."

Althea cocked her head. "Chiron? The hero trainer?"

"Yes, child." He nodded, looking impressed.

Suddenly, Kayla cut in. "Hey, Chiron? I have to go, there're still a few patients in the infirmary I have to supervise."

"I see. Thank you, Kayla." He nodded, smiling kindly.

"No problem." She grinned, flashing them a peace out sign and jumping out of the doorway.

Chiron chuckled fondly and turned to look at Althea. "You had quite an entrance yesterday."

"I know. Kayla told me all about it." The demigoddess sighed.

"Would you like to shed some light on your story?" He probed.

"What's there to shed light on? Just your typical troubled kid who decided she couldn't bear the home conditions, so she ran away." Althea laughed bitterly.

"How about this? I ask you a few general questions, nothing too personal. You don't even have to answer them if you don't want to. Then when we're finished, I'll show you around the camp. You may even have a little surprise waiting at the end for you." The centaurs eyes twinkled happily.

Althea considered it.

"Sure. Fair enough." She conceded.

"Excellent." Chiron nodded in satisfaction. "Let's start with the basics. How old are you?"

"I turned eleven on the 31st of July." She responded.

"Has your mother ever told your parentage?"

Althea let out a hollow laugh. "My mum and dad or ... stepdad ... are dead. Have been for ten years now. I used to live with my aunt and uncle, but they'd sooner kick my cousin out of the house than speak about anything unnatural."

Chiron sighed sympathetically, looking like he was all too used to this. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Don't be." Althea muttered.

After a brief moment of silence dedicated to the loss of James and Lily Potter, Chiron resumed asking questions.

"Now ... would you like to tell me how you got from England to New York?"

The girl tensed a bit. "Well ... you'll call me weird." She looked up at him.

"I assure you, I wouldn't."

After a beat, she finally answered. "It all started with Dudley's - that's my oaf of a cousin, by the way - ratty friend. His name's Piers. He and Dudley are apart of a gang - Dudley's the leader - and they love making my life a living hell. Everyday, they would play 'Thea Hunting'. It's been like that since I can remember. But one day, it all got to be too much for me. Piers came round to the house; my aunt and uncle were taking him and Dudley to the zoo for Dudley's birthday. He started taunting me. I tried to block it out; I'm normally good with anger management and all. But when I do let go of my temper, weird things happen. So needless to say, I became a delinquent at age eleven. He was taken to the hospital unconscious and I ran away."

"About a week later, when I was in one of my hideouts, I started hearing a voice in my head. He helped me around with stuff, guided me, made sure I wasn't lonely. Sad as it is, that was when I was at my happiest. I didn't even care that I was probably hallucinating, I was just gratified I wasn't alone anymore. Finally, one night, the voice told me to go to the airport, that I had to board a plane to New York and go to Long Island Sound and find a camp there. I was a bit suspicious, but the voice had never led me astray, so I went to the airport and sneaked on to a plane. Long story short, two Furies chased me from the airport, screeching that I'd hidden someone away and that they were going to take me to Lord Hades for retribution. Then I wrestled with one of them in the air and fell onto that Clarisse girl. And now ... here I am."

"That's certainly ... interesting." Chiron's lips twitched.

"That would be one word for it, I guess." Althea muttered.

"Very well. Thank you for answering my questions, Althea. Now, I think, it's time to take you around camp." The centaur smiled.

Althea jumped up, a cheerful smiling covering her face. "Great! Let's go!"

"Wait." Chiron laughed, holding up the bow.

Althea cocked her head curiously.

"This is yours. It flashed into my office about three nights ago with a note from Lord Apollo. He wanted me to give this to you." He handed her the bow.

Althea's eyes widened, examining the bow in awe. "No way ... this is mine?" She looked up for confirmation.

"I believe Lord Apollo called it a late birthday present." The hero trainer smirked.

" ... wicked!" Althea grinned.

"Yes, now come along. I believe I will show you the archery range first. You'd like to try out your gift, yes?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed, running out of the Big House.

For once in her eleven years of existence, Althea felt like a child running amok in a dream; a dream she never wanted to come out of.

* * *

After Chiron's tour and multiple explanations, everything made a bit more sense. Each of the twelve cabins belonged to one of the Olympians, just like #7 was Apollo's. Each one was unique, but a few were honorary. The cabins that belonged to Poseidon, Hera, Zeus and Artemis were empty. Although Artemis's cabin was occupied from time to time by her hunters, it still served no purpose other than keeping the goddess happy.

Just like a typical summer camp, there were lessons. But the lessons were far from typical, ranging from sword fighting to climbing a wall that dripped with lava. The camp director was the god Dionysus who, apparently, was away for an emergency meeting on Olympus. According to Chiron, he had been forced on to the job by his father, Zeus, after chasing an off-limits nymph. When Althea inquired about his wife, Chiron just shook his head and pointedly motioned toward the kids milling about and the message was clear. The gods had been alive for thousands of years; they weren't likely to change their habits just because it was a new age now.

As promised, Chiron took Althea to the archery range. Two of her brothers were already there, instructing a few of Demeter's younger children.

"Andrew!" Chiron called out.

The counselor of Cabin Seven looked up. As was apparently tradition, he was one of the older campers, having arrived seven years before, on his eleventh birthday. Most said he looked exactly like Apollo; eyes, face structure, body build and all. The most special thing about him, though, was that he had brief flashes into the immediate future. When the last counselor for the Apollo cabin left for his quest and never returned, Andrew was the unanimous choice. Everyone, even Ares's kids looked up to him, which was why Althea wanted to put a good impression of him. She hadn't met her eldest brother yet, and so the drive of curiosity was more than usual.

When she and Chiron reached the older boy, Andrew had slung his bow over his shoulder and was quietly examining her.

"Is this her?" He finally asked.

"Yes; could you show Althea the works? It seems I have to break up another fight." The centaur gave a long suffering sigh, glancing at two wrestling sons of Ares.

"Yeah, sure." Andrew nodded, looking at the bow in her hands, eyebrows raised.

"Oh, um ... Chiron said Apollo ... er, dad ... gave it to me." She inwardly cursed herself for stammering.

Apollo's eldest had an intimidating aura around him, and he didn't seem to be quite as playful as the others.

"I see." He nodded. "Well, I'm Andrew Gallagher, one of the older campers around here."

"Nice to meet you." She mumbled. "I'm Althea Potter."

"That your full name, Althea?" He asked, taking a few arrows out of his quiver.

She mumbled something.

"What was that?" He asked in amusement.

"Althea Hyacinth Potter." She said a bit louder.

"Did your mom appreciate the old man naming you after a previous lover?" Andrew snorted.

"Well, I wouldn't know, seeing as my mum's been dead for ten years now." Althea snapped, liking this particular brother less and less as each moment past.

He lifted his head and gazed into her eyes, as if looking into her soul.

"I see. Well, come here. Let me show you how to hold that." He ushered her forward.

 _'Jerk.'_ Althea huffed in her mind. _'And to think I admired him.'_

"That's not very nice." The boy said lightly, though she could sense the edge in his tone.

"I didn't say that out loud!" Althea blinked, sounding shocked.

He took a step back. "You really don't know, do you?" He questioned, the edge a bit sharper now.

"Know what?!" She exclaimed.

"Never mind." He groaned, then turned to face their other brother who was looking between them curiously. "Take this over for me, Will. I'm going to go see if they need any help in the infirmary."

"Uh, yeah. Okay." The younger boy nodded.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with him?!" Althea exclaimed, incensed.

"Don't worry about that. Andrew's had a tough life. But let's show you how to shoot an arrow, yeah?"

"Fine." Althea muttered, still a bit angry that she was being kept in the dark about something.

Little did she know, sometimes it was better to be kept in the dark than to have all you've ever known destroyed right in front of you. Knowledge is power, yes, but it's to be shared, not hoarded. Some knowledge is beneficial, but other types can just ruin everything.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall had never been so furious in her entire life. Not even the Marauders had managed to make her this angry! But somehow, the esteemed Headmaster she'd used to admire had her nearly popping a blood vessel. Truth be told, he wasn't the only one she was angry at; she was absolutely mortified at herself as well, but Minerva was more inclined to vent her anger on the old goat than to die a premature death over a heart attack.

Ever since the Deputy Headmistress had discovered Dumbledore's seemingly innocent trinkets exactly a week ago, she'd been on a warpath, and she knew the man she had once so ardently worshiped was more than confused at her major change in behavior. All week, she'd been restraining all the insults she really wanted to share with him, restraining the desire to smack the benevolent smile off his face and make that Merlin be damned twinkle disappear. She had managed to succeed and she was proud of herself for that, but all semblance of maintaining appearances blanked out of her mind when she discovered the small pile of letters that had been accumulating in the corner of Dumbledore's office for the past two weeks.

Interestingly enough, all were addressed to Althea Potter and the first few had the most disturbing address Minerva had ever had the displeasure to see. The four words 'Cupboard Under the Stairs' had been right about enough for the head of Gryffindor House to nearly turn to her ex-favorite professor into a mouse, turn into her animagus form and toss him around as a chew toy. But the other letters had caught her attention before she could do anything drastic, and thank Merlin and Morgana for that!

Althea Potter was missing! Even worse, she wasn't in English vicinity anymore! Minerva knew for a fact that the letters were only able to be delivered to students residing in the UK and the self-addressing quill wouldn't be able to find them if they weren't in the Commonwealth. Althea, thank all magic there was, was still alive, as the letters were still being composed, even if the quill couldn't find her.

The school year would start in a little more than two weeks and Althea Potter not arriving with the newest batch of students would be nothing short of a disaster. If Dumbledore wasn't inclined to find James and Lily's girl, then Minerva would. As much as she hated to, she had to start with the abominable muggles who were regrettably Althea's relatives.

Minerva would go in disguise as a muggle businesswoman and pretend to be interested in investing in Lily's brother-in-law's company. She would slip some truth serum into their drinks and make them tell her what they'd done to her favorite student's daughter. Then, the next thing on her agenda was arranging a meeting between her fist and Dumbledore's face. She was sure they'd get along famously.


End file.
